-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Lake Urmia in Iran used to be a site to reckon with .

Twenty years ago , it ranked as the sixth largest saltwater lake in the world , and the largest in the Middle East . Tourists would revel in the lake 's buoyancy -LRB- like the Dead Sea , the salt level made it impossible to sink -RRB- , and the flocks of flamingos , pelicans and yellow deer that once inhabited the surrounding areas .

Today , Urmia is a shadow of its former self . Decades of poor water management , aggressive agricultural policies and drought have rendered it almost completely dried up -LRB- according to the United Nations Development Program , the lake has shrunk by two-thirds since 1997 -RRB- .

Rusted boats lay abandoned in what is now essentially a giant salt flat . The tourists are long gone , as are many of the animals that once called the lake home .

`` It 's like seeing a scene from a different planet . I saw caterpillars and bobcats taking salt from the dead body of the lake , '' recalls Gary Lewis , the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Iran .

`` It 's a testament to how rapidly we can break something . ''

It 's a problem that President Hassan Rouhani is aware of , and one he wants to fix . Last month , he agreed to spend $ 500 million in the first year alone of a ten-year recovery plan -LRB- the total bill is $ 5 billion -RRB- .

`` If the lake dries up , this kind of threat will not be comparable to any other threat , '' he said in a public statement in January .

It 's not an overblown statement . According to experts , Iran is on the brink of a water crisis .

`` In the year 1956 , the per capita water available in Iran was 7,000 cubic meters . Today , it is 1,900 cubic meters . In the year 2020 , it is likely to be only 1,300 cubic meters , '' says Lewis . The estimates fall far short of the 30 million cubic meters he believes will be needed to accommodate the burgeoning population -- which could reach 90 million in the next decade .

Shortages are cited throughout the country , not just at Lake Urmia , but in the Hamoun Wetlands in the east of the country -- a one-time oasis surrounded by fishing villages that has since dried up . In 2012 alone , the Hamoun water crisis sent 600,000 environmental refugees into the north of the country .

Lewis worries that as water shortages become the norm , not only will Iran face repercussions to the economy and public health , but that it will start to have a knock-on effect on the Middle East as a whole .

`` People are vulnerable when they migrate . When they come crashing into someone else 's neighborhood , they become a threat to those people 's economic security . Add in ethnic or linguistic differences , and that can be a real source of conflict , '' he says .

A new Iran ?

Iran is doing more than throwing money at the problem . In March , Iran 's Department of Environment , together with the UNDP , held a conference with hundreds of international experts on how to solve Iran 's water shortage problem , and ultimately approved 24 separate projects .

`` When Rouhani took power , in the first government meeting , he ordered the formation of a special group to save Urmia and the other dying wetlands , '' recalls Naser Agh , a professor at the Artemia and Aquatic Animals Research Institute at Urmia University , and a member of the steering committee of the Lake Urmia restoration program .

The mission to save the lake is complex , and Agh admits that even in ten years , it will only restore Urmia to half its original size .

`` No single measure can help the lake . Lots of things have to be done at the same time , '' he says .

The influx of money and manpower demonstrates a sizable shift in how the new administration is addressing the problem -- partly , in that they 're willing to address it at all .

Thus far , Iran 's environmental record has been pretty poor . The country is the world 's ninth top producer of greenhouse gasses , according to according to the US Energy Information Administration , and is home to the world 's eighth most polluted city .

`` The past government would say we needed to save the lake , and would even form a national committee and ministers would come together , but there was never a budget , and without a budget , you ca n't do anything , '' says Agh .

`` This new government is very different . They also approved a large amount of money , so it can really help save the lake . ''

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Lake Urmia was once one of the world 's largest lakes

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Over the last 20 years it has almost completely dried up

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Iran 's water crisis puts security , the economy and public health at risk

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President Rouhani has committed $ 5 billion to save the lake